Turkey, Poland, and Tour oh my!

Well hi there! It's been a day or two (or thirteen) since I last blogged, so I figured I better get on here and give you guys an update. I've been very busy with the release of the third book in 13TH REALITY, with lots of good times. And other stuff.

So, without further adieu, here's one of my infamous numbered updates of randomness:

1. We recently sold rights to THE MAZE RUNNER trilogy in Poland and Turkey, which I think is just pretty cool.

2. Off the top of my head, here is the current list of languages/ territories in which you'll soon be able to read about Grievers hurting young people:

United Kingdom
France
Germany
Russia
Taiwan
Spanish (Spain)
Spanish (Latin and South America)
Portuguese (Brazil)
Greece
Poland
Turkey

Hmmmm. Am I forgetting somewhere? I think this it.

3. We've had some great events since I last blogged. The launch party in Utah, schools and signings in the Dallas and Phoenix areas. For all those who came, THANK YOU. It really means a lot to have such awesome support. I hope you like those books you bought!

4. The Hawks are up 2-0 in their series with the Bucks, the first time they've been up in a series 2-0 since 1970. Oh yeah.

5. The Braves have a winning record. All is well so far in the sporting world.

6. I'm really excited for the Storymakers writing conference in Provo UT this weekend, mainly because my AWESOME INCREDIBLE SUPERHUMAN editor Krista Marino will be there from Random House. It'll be fun to hang out with her and let her tell me in person what I'm doing wrong in my latest book. I'm also excited to see all my "regular" friends who go way back at this conference.

7. There are still a few stops on the tour coming up, including Denver, St. Louis, Houston, and then New York City for BEA. For details (that I have so far), CLICK HERE.

8. Phoenix is hot. It's April, and it's hot. I don't think I'd like to be here in July.

9. Leesie from the comments: you seem very sweet and kind. And you keep asking me to respond to an email. I'm sorry to say I have not received said email. I'm really sorry!!! Maybe you used an old address or something? I don't use author@jamesdashner anymore, by the way. Tell me what you're looking for in the comments and I'll see what I can do to help. Sound good?

10. Which reminds me, a lot of you have asked questions in the comments, and some good ones at that. I promise I'll get to them as soon as possible. Just not tonight because my eyeballs feel like sandpaper covered lima beans. I'm tired I guess.

11. I'm ashamed to say that I'm way behind on LOST and 24. Very ashamed. By the same token, I can't believe my good fortune that I have so many episodes to watch! No spoilers or I will hunt you down and make you watch Family Matters reruns.

12. I'm reading a fascinating book that I'm just loving, and it's not my usual kinda book. It's called PILLARS OF THE EARTH by Ken Follet. It's about the 1100s and the building of a cathedral. Life tweren't easy back then. And I'm pretty sure everyone smelled like armpits and doodoo. I'm very thankful for my Degree Deoderant and toilets.

13. Just one more shout out and thank you to all the incredible people I've met so far on this little tour. I don't dare start naming names because I will leave out someone and get hunted down and have to watch reruns of Family Matters. But you've all been so great and so nice to me. Thank you.

Until next time, nanu nanu!!!!!!

Launch Party Tonight! And Misc...

Book 3 of my series THE 13TH REALITY (THE BLADE OF SHATTERED HOPE) is officially out, and we're going to celebrate tonight with lots of food and good times. There will also be giveaways, including 30 t-shirts. I hope all of you can make it. That's right. All of you. There'll be dancing grannies and six-legged bears!

The fun begins at 6:30, Barnes and Noble, West Jordan UT. The one at the Jordan Landing shopping center.

Also, if you live in Utah and want to see me make a fool of myself, tune in to the 5:00 Channel 2 news and you'll see a piece on me. They invaded my home and even made me play the drums in my office. Okay, that might've been my idea, something I'm sure I'll regret the rest of my life. Hopefully it didn't make the cut!

I'll also be coming to Dallas, Phoenix, Denver and St. Louis soon. For details on those events, CLICK HERE.

Finally, you have to read this article that appeared in the New York Times. One of our most faithful Dashner Duders (Thanks Dave!) was interviewed about his family's blog, and he mentioned THE MAZE RUNNER with high praise. I'm proud to say I was his very first interview. CLICK HERE to read it.

Oh, one more thing. Or two more things. MAZE has received another couple of bits of good news: It's been nominated for the American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults and the Kentucky Bluegrass Awards. Thank you ALA and state of Kentucky!!!

See you all tonight. You heard me. All of you.

Tour Details and Misc.

Since it's coming right up on us, I figured I better get my tour dates and details out there for everyone to see. But first, a couple of interesting things you can go read:

1. I did an article for the Guide to Literary Agents website, called "7 Things I've Learned So Far." If you're an aspiring writer, you might want to take a look. CLICK HERE.

2. I can't really say much more, but the end of this article in VARIETY magazine gives a glimpse into where we are with film rights to THE MAZE RUNNER. CLICK HERE. More as I can share it...

Now, onto tour details for the release of Book 3 in THE 13TH REALITY: THE BLADE OF SHATTERED HOPE.

The official launch party will be held at the Barnes & Noble in West Jordan, UT (Jordan Landing Shopping Center) on Friday, April 9th, at 6:30 pm. Angie Wager, the CRM there, has been supporting me since before pretty much anyone else. We're going to make this a lot of fun with giveaways, good food, a reading, etc. Please, if you live anywhere close, try to make it!!!

I'm also happy to announce that Simon & Schuster is sending me and Brandon Mull (FABLEHAVEN) on a little jaunt to Houston (May 10) and Austin (May 11) Texas, where we'll be presenting and signing together. Details coming.

Here is a list of my other upcoming events:

Wednesday, April 14
6:30p.m.- Signing
Barnes & Noble
861 North East Mall Blvd.
Hurst, TX 76053
817-284-3243

Monday, April 19
Signing- 6:00p.m.
Barnes & Noble
1758 S. Val Vista Dr.
Mesa, AZ 85204
480-454-8514

Tuesday, April 20
6:30p.m.- Signing
Deseret Book
1350 S. Gilbert Rd. #4
Mesa, AZ 85204
480-926-3234

Tuesday, April 27
6:30p.m.- Signing
Barnes & Noble
8374 South Willow St.
Lone Tree, Co 80124
303-706-9660

Saturday, May 1
2-4p.m.- Signing
Barnes & Noble
330 East University Parkway
Orem, UT 84058
801-224-3526

Tuesday, May 4
6:30p.m.- Signing
Deseret Book
1110 E. Fort Union Blvd. 4M
Midvale, UT
801-561-8777

Friday, May 7
Signing- 6:30p.m.
Barnes & Noble
721 Gravois Rd.
Fenton, MO 63026
636-326-4619

Scorch Cover, 2009 Sales

Two quick things today that are interesting.

First, the cover for THE SCORCH TRIALS is NOT final, but it's popping up all over the Internet somehow, so I wanted to make sure I let you know about it before you heard it from another source. You can CLICK HERE to see it on Amazon, and I've seen it on a few blogs as well. There will be changes to make it even better, but that's basically it. What do you think?

The word "Companion" will be replaced with "Sequel" because it's most definitely a direct sequel. Also, the colors will be more vibrant and the sky amped up a bit. Once we have a final version, I'll put it up on the blog more officially.

Second, Publisher's Weekly did an article on sales numbers for 2009, and I'm ecstatic to see that THE MAZE RUNNER is included in the Top 100 (#97) for new hardcovers! Considering the competition and the fact it was only out for 3 months of the year, I'm thinking that's not too shabby! We've sold a lot through things like the Scholastic Book Fair, which don't show up on Bookscan, NY Times, etc., so this number really surprised me and made my day.

Here is the article if you'd like to see it: CLICK HERE. Fascinating stuff. I'm not quite in Stephenie Meyer's league yet. Haha.

I hope everyone is off to a great week so far...

UK Trailer, Latest Q&A

I thought I'd answer some of your questions from the comments today.

If that bores you, then go check out the UK trailer for Maze Runner, coming in August from Scholastic/Chicken House. CLICK HERE. It's basically the same as the U.S. one, but some of you may have not even seen that one.

Onto the questions...

Several people asked about the next book after Maze. It's called THE SCORCH TRIALS and comes out on October 12th. There's a countdown on the right side of the blog. Hey, we're almost down to 200 days!!!

Emma wondered where I got the ideas for Maze. Well, besides my crazy and slightly disturbing imagination, I always say the book was definitely inspired by two of my favorites growing up: ENDER'S GAME and LORD OF THE FLIES.

Thanks for all the yays from those in cities I'm visiting on tour, and the boos from those I'm not. Both make me feel good and appreciated! I really hope to meet a lot of you. Unless you're the lady from MISERY.

Rue from Dallas wants to know where you can find specifics about my upcoming tours. As soon as I have them, they'll be posted here, so stay tuned.

Dave asked about New York, and I did forget to say that I'm coming there for BEA at the end of May, but I don't think I have any events outside of that.

Mary at The Sweet Bookshelf wants me to come to the UK - I would love to!!!!! Who knows. I've never been to Europe, but I really want to go sometime soon. We'll see if one of the publishers there brings me out, or I guess I could arrange a couple of events if we go on vacation. We shall see! Do they like Americans?

Magenta wondered who came up with the UK cover. Well, I don't really know - the design team there, I guess. But I do love it!!!

Arning asked what my book is about. Well, the best thing would be for you to read the little teaser printed on the book flap, which is also available all over the Internet. Google is your friend!

Morgan wants to know how many books are planned in THE 13TH REALITY series. Five. So two years from now both of my series will be done and who knows what'll come next...

Graham Bradley asked when we'd be able to see the cover for SCORCH. Soon, my friend. Soon. It's really cool.

LuAnn Staheli's middle school class wondered why Sato is on the cover of Book 3 of 13th. We're kind of going with a theme, a different character on the cover with each book. Tick, then Mistress Jane, and now Sato. He might be my favorite character, by the way.

Jennifer Jenkins was nice enough to ask me about my knee. It's recovering nicely, except I must've done something to it because it's swollen and stiff today. I hope it's nothing serious!!!

Debbie the Nerf Goddess (nice name!) brought up a good point. The US and Greek covers both use the same awesome artwork by Philip Straub, but show different angles, the Greek one showing the sky above. Why? I don't know. Different tastes. I can't decide which one I like more.

Juliet Crane asked how far in the future MAZE is set. Excellent, excellent question! Well, it's never really revealed in the books, but in my mind it's over 200 years.

Alyssa hoped I could post the first couple of chapters of SCORCH for everyone. Well, not yet. But I think Random House will do that within the next couple of months.

Taffy asked about the last amazing movie I watched. I really loved THE GHOST WRITER, and not just because I have a mancrush on Ewan Mcgregor.

Ender wanted to know how I'm liking LOST so far. Love it as always. Though I'm actually behind on the show (I know - shame, shame), so I might talk about it more once I'm caught up.

There ya go. Thank you again for ALL the comments. I love reading them and staying in touch with you guys. My next post will be a full update on all the little things going on in my life. Talk soon...

Upcoming Chat on Twitter

I wanted to let you guys know about an online chat in which I'll be participating with a bunch of huge YA authors (figuratively speaking of course). The incredible Georgia McBride (author of the upcoming urban fantasy series PRAEFATIO in 2011) founded YALITCHAT, and the biggest one yet is coming up on April 14th and 15th.

Look at this lineup!!!

April 14th: Melissa Marr, A.S. King, Becca Fitzpatrick, Lisa McMann, Ellen Hopkins, Margaret Stohl, Carrie Ryan, Alyson Noel

April 15th: Holly Black, Michelle Zink, Scott Westerfeld, Kami Garcia, Cassandra Clare, Bree Despain, James Dashner, Sarah Rees Brennan

I'm honored to be included, and excited to make a fool of myself in such company!

Details:

Both evening chats take place from 9:00 to 11:00 pm EST.

It all takes place on twitter under the hashtag of #yalitchat.

The official website for yalitchat: http://yalitchat.wordpress.com/

Here's the link for it on Ning: http://yalitchat.ning.com/

To follow along you simply search for #yalitchat on twitter then keep up! We'll be answering your questions so be sure and pipe in.

If you're not following me on twitter yet, please do! CLICK HERE to do so.

May everyone have a most joyous and non-sucky weekend. Talk to ya next week.

Tour Dates and TDD Winner

And the winner of THE DARK DIVINE by Bree Despain is...

Jackson Porter!!!!

Congratulations, my friend. Throw me an email address and I'll contact you. You're gonna love the book!

I also wanted to announce the dates and cities for my upcoming tour for Book 3 of THE 13TH REALITY. I don't have any hard details yet, but at least you can hopefully set aside the day to come see me. Please don't make me beg.

Dallas TX: April 13, 14

Phoenix, AZ: April 19, 20

Denver, CO: April 26, 27

Salt Lake City, UT: May 1-4

St. Louis, MO: May 5-7

I'm also happy to announce that Random House has told me I'll be visiting the following cities this fall when THE SCORCH TRIALS is released in October (all tentative):

San Francisco, CA
Boston, MA
St. Louis, MO
Portland, OR
St. Paul, MN
Madison, WI
Salt Lake City, UT

I love it that I'll be going to a lot of new cities this time around. And I hope to meet many Dashner Duders along the way.....

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Oscars last night. I love Steve Martin and really wish he was my uncle. And a huge congrats to Kathryn Bigelow and everyone involved with THE HURT LOCKER. Amazing movie.

Countdown to THE PACIFIC on HBO: 6 days.

UK Cover for The Maze Runner

What do you think? I absolutely love it. Feels like a movie poster to me, which is pretty much the highest praise I can give something.

This book will be coming out in the UK in August from Scholastic/Chicken House. I had the good fortune to talk to a lot of the people responsible there on a phone conference, and they are wonderful!!! I wish/hope I can go there at some point and meet them and all my new readers. And I want to see castles. And Big Ben, Parliament... (what movie?)

Check out their website page for the book and what else they have to offer (CLICK HERE). They're incredible, and they'll also be publishing TMR in Germany. Chicken House rules!

I'm knee deep in my second round of revisions this week for THE SCORCH TRIALS. Krista always knows how to step it up and pull things out of me I didn't know I had! I'm also mourning the end of the Olympics. *sniff*

If you missed seeing the cover for Book 3 of THE 13TH REALITY or you want to enter the contest to win Bree Despain's THE DARK DIVINE, then CLICK HERE. I'll announce the winner later this week. (Coming soon: tour dates and Q&A from the comments.)

Back to revisions...

Book 3 Cover, Giveaway: THE DARK DIVINE

Well hey there.

Two things today:

1. I can finally show you the cover for Book 3 of THE 13TH REALITY (coming April 6). It's by Brandon Dorman, and I love, love, love it! For the record, that's Sato on the cover.

2. To celebrate, I'm giving away a signed copy of my good friend Bree Despain's book, THE DARK DIVINE. To be eligible, all you have to do is leave a comment and let me know what you think of the new cover. Or Bree's cover. Or the techniques of curling.

I'll announce the winner next week, at which time I'll also be announcing my tour cities and dates for the release of Book 3 in April. So, without further ado, here is the cover:

13th Book 2 Paperback: Come and Get it!

Just wanted to let everyone know that the second book of THE 13TH REALITY is now available in paperback.

I said this when we first revealed the new cover, but I'll say it again: I love, love, love it!!! Kudos to the artist, Owen Richardson. The inside illustrations are the same as the hardback, done by the equally talented Bryan Beus.

We continue to get a steady stream of newcomers to the Dashner Dude, so I'll just give a quick recap of this series. Book 1 (THE JOURNAL OF CURIOUS LETTERS) and Book 2 (THE HUNT FOR DARK INFINITY) are now available in paperback. Book 3 (THE BLADE OF SHATTERED HOPE) comes out on April 7th. We should be revealing that cover here on the blog very, very soon.

I have two publishers for this series. The hardbacks are done by Shadow Mountain, the people who brought you FABLEHAVEN. The paperbacks are from Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and they've decided to have different covers, but keep the inside illustrations. It's scheduled to be five books in total.

The basic premise: a group of scientists called the Realitants study alternate realities. In the Thirteenth, they've discovered that science has been mutated into a dark magic. Very bad things happen.

How's that for short and sweet?

Many of you found me through THE MAZE RUNNER. If you liked that, I hope you'll give THE 13TH REALITY a try. I'm really proud of it, especially as it gets deeper and deeper into the story. Enjoy!

I'll answer your questions from the comments in my next post. I hope everyone is enjoying the Olympics. Pretty sure I've watched more coverage than anyone save Bob Costas. Curling rocks! So does biathlon! And all the usual stuff. The Alpine skiing is my #1 favorite though. And hockey. And short track speed skating.

Talk again soon...